North Battleford's Team Robyn Silvernagle will not be competing at the Canadian Meridian Open in Yorkton on January 14-19, 2020. (submitted photo/Anil Mungal-Sportsnet)

By Brady Lang/CKOM News Staff

Silvernagle declines invitation to Saskatchewan Grand Slam, Dunstone, Muyres accept

Dec 18, 2019 | 5:07 PM

The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling’s only Saskatchewan stop of the 2019-20 season won’t be featuring any women’s teams from the province.

The Meridian Canadian Open is scheduled for Jan. 14-19 in Yorkton, but North Battleford’s Robyn Silvernagle declined the invitation to compete in the event.

There will be two rinks on the men’s side representing Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon-based Kirk Muyres and Regina-based Matt Dunstone.

Silvernagle’s decision to decline the invitation came down to a few different reasons, but everything ended up coming back to the team’s season goal of repeating as provincial champion.

Silvernagle broke everything down to 650 CKOM Wednesday morning.

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“Just with some scheduling conflicts, and we all still have full-time jobs, so trying to maintain those when it’s busy season for some of the girls — and our provincial (championship) lands the week after that Slam — it would just be a lot,” she said.

“Having a player from Alberta, when you can’t fly close to Yorkton, that was another part of it. (There was) a lot of travel in between. Going to Yorkton, then going back home, and then coming back to Melville for provincials., it was just a lot. Things just weren’t going to work out for us.”

The 2020 provincial playdowns in Melville are scheduled for Jan. 25-30, which is just six days removed from the end of the Grand Slam.

Silvernagle said it was a disappointing decision, but the team members wanted to make sure they were at their peak for provincials.

“We wanted just to make sure that we weren’t burnt out, because we have seen that before,” she said. “You can get burnt out just by doing too much, so we’re just making sure that our focus is in the right place.”

Last year, the Meridian Canadian Open event was a coming-out party of sorts for the foursome that curls out of the Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford.

Silvernagle’s rink surprised a few teams along the way, drawing from the energy of the hometown crowd, and ended up making the playoff round.

The team ended up dropping a 6-1 decision to Silvana Tirinzoni in the event’s quarterfinals.

Silvernagle joked that the team’s decision on this year’s Grand Slam may have been different if it were in front of the hometown crowds in North Battleford, but she said the event brings back many great memories on the Civic Centre ice.

“(It was great) to have that feeling of so many people cheering for you, and wearing Silvernagle bunnyhugs, and just everyone kind of knowing who you are. It was like our first little taste of what we we were getting into. It was pretty amazing,” she said.

“I don’t know if anything will really top that event for playing at home. It was an incredible experience. We’re grateful we got to play in that Slam.”

Silvernagle said hers was the only women’s rink from Saskatchewan to get an invitation to the 2020 event.

She said although no Saskatchewan teams will be in action on the women’s side, there are still many great curlers who will hit the ice in Yorkton in January.

“There’s going to be a lot of females that are very inspirational to young girls,” she said. “Just being at that event, whether they’re from Saskatchewan or not, it’s very inspiring. I know a lot of young girls that are very inspired from teams from all over the world, not just Saskatchewan.”

Silvernagle said she and her teammates won’t be making an appearance at the event, but they will be watching from home and cheering on the Muyres and Dunstone rinks when things get underway in Yorkton.